


It's a work in progress

by jiicarus



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Family, Gen, Post-Episode: s03e12-13 Phantom Planet, Short & Sweet, danny kinda has some issues that he's bottling but this isn't about that, i guess it kinda has to be with the way i went about it, maybe it feels a little incomplete bc of it though, this is the closest i've gotten to a drabble bc i normally don't shut up, we love to see a functional dysfunctional family who loves each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:20:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27356392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jiicarus/pseuds/jiicarus
Summary: His parents know, and he knows they know, but man is it still weird.(Or: some things need some getting used to. Post-reveal. Inspired by the end scene of rinkunokoisuru's "An Unconventional Confession".)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 148





	It's a work in progress

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [An Unconventional Confession](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25703572) by [rinkunokoisuru](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rinkunokoisuru/pseuds/rinkunokoisuru). 



> Does the title mean the Fentons or the fic itself? The answer is yes. 
> 
> Inspired by rinkunokoisuru's "An Unconventional Confession" where I really wanted to see that ending bit in more on it in a ... different? Drawn out? Way? But I couldn't muster up enough writing juice for longer since I rarely flex the writing muscles nowadays, so maybe it is a work in progress. 
> 
> If you (reader and/or rinkunokoisuru themself) think this leans too hard into straight up plagiarism instead of just "inspiration", please let me know and I'll take this down asap.

His ghost sense goes off during dinner—the first time since his identity's been revealed—and he's seconds away from making a big fuss about how ah, _stomach hurts!_ before realizing he doesn't ... have to. 

It's weird. It gets weirder when he tries to bring it up with an awkward, "Uh, I'll .... be right back. There's a, uh ...." 

"Ghost?" Jazz fills, helpfully, glancing between him and their parents. There's a moment where Dad looks excited, and Danny is prepared for some yelling before his expression changes. 

Mom steps into the silence (and, well, Danny really should've been gone by now, but) with an "Ah," and a hesitant, "Be careful, hun," smiling despite the slight furrow in her brow. 

Danny knows his parents love him—support him, believe in him, _don't want to rip him apart molecule by molecule ~~(anymore, maybe)~~_ —but there's definitely an awkwardness in the air and a force to her and Dad's smiles as he nods and smiles back. It's enough that he decides to run upstairs and transform there, anyways, even if there's nothing to be hiding anymore. 

It's enough that, afterwards, he's facedown on his bed while Jazz leans against his doorway, some parts bemused and mostly concerned. His words are unintelligible with the muffling of blanket, but she manages to understand him anyways. 

"Mom and Dad just aren't used to ... y'know," she says, consolingly, and Danny just makes another noise in response. "They just need a bit of time. They probably feel really guilty about ... well." 

Danny picks up his head just to flip himself around, heaving a sigh as he does so. "I know, and I know they don't—" Hate him, want to dissect him, plan on trapping him in a cage to poke and prod and _test, interrogating, asking where their son really is—_

"—think any less of me or, whatever, but ..." He leans up on his elbows to look at her, eyebrows knit together. "Doesn't really feel great when it gets so ..." 

She moves to sit at the foot of his bed. "Awkward? I know. It'll be a process, li'l bro."

Danny plops his head back down. There's a pause, where he thinks Jazz is expecting him to say something, but apparently he takes too long because she takes the lead again. "Maybe constantly hiding it away isn't the answer, though." 

"... Whaddya mean?" 

"Well ... Kinda like, exposure therapy," she starts, and then shoves him when she catches his eye roll and soft huff of _oh, here we go_. "They're not really used to the idea because it's new and, uh, pretty against a lot of what they've thought for a while, right? Maybe you should use your ghost powers more often. Make it a new normal—it's part of the _Danny Fenton_ package, after all." 

He stares at her for a few moments, not missing the emphasis she placed on _Fenton_ , before his eyes roll back up to the ceiling despite not actually looking at it. The only indication he gives that he even heard her is a _hmm_ , low and noncommittal. 

"Well, just think about it, okay, Danny? Little things. Baby steps, and all that." She gives his knee a reassuring squeeze before getting up, pausing at the door frame again. He doesn't say anything, and after a moment's consideration, neither does she. 

New normal. There's a lot of that lately. Danny doesn't think he's had a 'normal' in over a year now. Still ...

* * *

He gives it a shot the next morning; being known as a _superhero_ (which, granted, he's _super_ not used to) doesn't really exempt him from going to school, but his teachers have been a bit nicer about his poor performances; a little bit of leniency on a deadline here and there, moderately less annoyance when he's asleep in class—but being late first thing in the morning is still pretty frowned upon, so he picks up the pace on getting ready and heading downstairs.

Maddie is already there, ever the early riser, and says a, "Morning, sweetie," as she waits for the coffee pot. Danny manages a quick _morning_ back, before (and it's so weird to check that his mom _is_ looking, now) turning his hand intangible to rummage through the fridge for the milk carton. A glance tells him that she's staring - blinks a few times, even, as if the sight confused her - before she settles back to 'mom' mode.

She says something about her and Dad doing something, after school but probably not long enough to miss dinner, before turning back to the now-ready coffee, and Danny says a confirmation as he rummages through the top cabinet's door for cereal. This time, Mom doesn't seem to know what to think of it, but ... there's something like amusement, there, and ...

Well. He considers that a form of a success, right? Baby steps.

* * *

They get back late—Danny didn't actually pay attention to the why, earlier, but he hears the door open and close and it's already past 7. Mom calls out something about ordering a pizza, and the half(?)-ghost's stomach grumbles at the thought. He's about to shout his order (except he probably doesn't really need to, nobody in this family's changed pizza orders for years) but stops himself before he can, thinking.

It feels kinda stupid, to get on all fours in his room like this, but he does just so he can stick his head through the floor into the living room. He hears some startled shouts (Dad, more than Mom) and turns to face them for real, since he's apparently a bit off on his direction.

Dad blinks. Mom stares. They're both a bit tensed, but it's (probably?) more from the unexpectedness. It's better than, say, immediately going for their weapons and yelling something about _how dare you ectoplasmic scum come into our house_ while shooting at him, but Danny still chuckles a little nervously and says, "Boo?"

 _Boo_. Idiot. He'd smack himself in the face, except, somehow, that works? Because both his parents relax, Mom giving a small laugh of her own and Dad smiling while he asks, "Whaddya feelin' tonight, Danny-boy?" 

Huh. "Uhh - y'know. The usual," he says, feeling weird about carrying a conversation _through_ the floor and not just, normally shouting it across the entire house like a normal teenager. He supposes the whole _normal_ part of it is never super going to apply to him (and really, did it ever apply to him, even before the accident? Not with a family like this), but while he watches his parents try to find the pizza place's number despite having ordered from the same one multiple times ... He's pretty okay with that.

Danny grins while pulling himself back to his room, content—before immediately turning back around (down?), adding, "Oh, but don't put Jazz's order split with mine, they never keep the mushrooms off!" 

(He totally knows Dad's, "You got it!" means absolutely nothing and he's gonna be picking off some stray mushrooms from his pizza, but. Baby steps.)

**Author's Note:**

> somehow, every year or so, I always fall back into being really into danny phantom (the show) (but the kid's cool too) (yes he's my fave and maybe i'll do the thing everyone loves and open his can of issues some other time)


End file.
